“Well, to be honest, I think it’s a hypothesis anyone could come up with soon enough, even if it weren’t me. The very fact that you became a Guide is because of the gate, so it wouldn’t be strange if the guiding energy created inside the gate is different from others.”
Suhyeon nodded slowly.
If he considered that his core and guiding energy were formed within the gate and thus differed from others, it made perfect sense.
To that extent, the gates remained a mystery to humanity.
This was similar to why, in the very beginning, no one had questioned how Suhyeon had suddenly become an S-rank Guide overnight at his age.
The Gate. That single word explained everything.
Ryu Yihan stroked his chin while looking at Suhyeon.
“Hmm, in a way, the fact that you’re an S-rank—meaning you possess a vast amount of guiding energy—might also be related to this ability. Is that too much of a leap?”
“I wonder.”
Suhyeon tilted his head.
Once he started tracing the cause, it felt as though reasons might exist for everything else as well.
Memories of the moment he was sucked into the gate flickered through his mind.
—Kueeeeeee.
It was truly an overwhelming memory, one he had intentionally tried not to recall after a certain point, but looking back now, that day had transformed every aspect of his life in an instant.
“Well, anyway, if we think of it that way… you said you wanted to know more about your ability, right?”
When Ryu Yihan asked while scratching his head, Suhyeon nodded.
It was the only thing he had specifically requested when Ryu Yihan first joined the research team.
“Then I think there’s no choice but to go out to a gate.”
“Nonsense.”
Hajin’s voice shot out immediately.
Suhyeon felt a sharp aura emanating from behind him.
However, Suhyeon remained relatively composed.
Ryu Yihan, after glancing at Hajin’s reaction, tried to continue but grimaced and grumbled as Hajin glared at him fiercely.
“Hey, Shin Hajin, just listen. Just listen. Can’t you even do that?”
The sound of Hajin snorting lightly came from behind.
Soon, Suhyeon felt Hajin bury his head in his shoulder.
“Tell me.”
“Ah, right.”
Suhyeon patted Hajin as he listened to Ryu Yihan continue.
Ryu Yihan shrugged, acting as if it weren’t that big of a deal.
“First of all, the accident footage shows that managing the Cotton Ball isn’t the limit of your ability, right? You might be able to handle not just the Cotton Ball but other monsters as well, or you might even have other abilities we haven’t thought of. For now, the only ability of yours we can confirm here is managing that fluff, so to specifically see what else you can do, I think it’s right to go to the field. I’m definitely not saying you should stand right in front of a monster or a gate. Just… try to get a feel for it? If you are, by any chance, going to get close to a gate, you should obviously go surrounded by Shin Hajin and a thick wall of Espers.”
“…That makes sense.”
“Right?”
Suhyeon nodded slowly.
Hajin held onto Suhyeon tightly as if he extremely disliked the idea, but in the end, he didn’t say a word.
Previously, Hajin had acted as if he would tear the Association apart whenever they brought up gates, but it seemed the effort Suhyeon spent soothing him each time had paid off.
“Um, and the Association will probably think about sending you to a gate site soon.”
Ryu Yihan added, telling him not to be surprised when the time came.
Well, Suhyeon nodded nonchalantly.
The Association had said they would do so from the very beginning, and they had already tested the Cotton Ball and Suhyeon’s power over ten times.
The Association had essentially said from the start that if they were to keep the Cotton Ball alive, they would utilize Suhyeon as a full-fledged combat asset.
“Kyuu?”
As if it understood that they were talking about its birthplace, the Cotton Ball looked up at Suhyeon with sparkling eyes.
Ryu Yihan kept his eye on the Cotton Ball even as he continued.
“What I said earlier was as someone researching the Cotton Ball and your power; I also absolutely don’t want you to be in danger. You know that, right? Tell them to take all the Espers, and since you’re using your power through guiding, make sure to get plenty of rest before going out—and if you can avoid going, don’t go. Preparing for safety, safety, and more safety is the most important thing in this industry, so if anything feels even slightly off, get out immediately. Well, Shin Hajin will probably be more obsessive about it than I am.”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
Suhyeon nodded obediently and stood up.
Ryu Yihan looked at the Cotton Ball regretfully but waved them off, saying he would stay there a bit longer.
“You’re not actually going to do as that bastard said, are you?”
Whether out of lingering anger, Hajin slammed the door to Ryu Yihan’s medical lab and approached Suhyeon with the question.
“Well… no.”
‘Go to a gate site.’
His heart, which felt firmly enchanted by the gates, thumped in agreement at the words, and he was almost swayed, but Suhyeon shook his head, holding onto his last bit of reason.
Since he could now properly manage the Cotton Ball, his primary goal of having the power to protect himself was fulfilled, and he knew that heading out based only on this intuition and feeling could lead to his death.
He would not step into danger of his own accord until the Association ordered it.
The moment Suhyeon finished his sentence, Hajin, whose expression had turned grim, nodded in satisfaction.
“You should. Even if the Association talks nonsense about going out, it’s absolutely not happening unless you take all the Espers with you. It would be even better if you asked me not to go.”
Suhyeon nodded quietly.
Hajin didn’t bring up extreme ideas like before, either—though that “request” at the end felt somewhat intimidating.
Suhyeon went down to the first floor and sat on the living room sofa.
As usual, before Suhyeon’s seat could touch the cushions, Hajin quickly pulled him into his arms and sank into the sofa.
“Aren’t you tired?”
Suhyeon was rolling the Cotton Ball—which was chirping a happy kyuu—around in his hands when he nodded at the low question.
Before he knew it, the living room was filled with the glow of the sunset.
“To manage that thing, do you have to use a lot of guiding energy?”
Hajin had never seriously asked how he used his ability, but it seemed the talk of the gate site had made him solemn.
Suhyeon, who was lounging comfortably in his arms, tilted his head and gave a small negative response.
“Compared to guiding you… hmm, it feels similar, maybe. It sucks up a lot of energy when it transforms.”
“So it feels like it takes the wavelength when it moves significantly?”
Suhyeon nodded.
“Then, you’re not overdoing it. Or… am I wrong? Since I don’t know much about guiding… you aren’t pushing yourself, right?”
At the follow-up question, Suhyeon, who was fiddling with Hajin’s arms wrapped around his waist, smiled faintly.
“No, I’m not.”
“That’s a relief, at least.”
His voice sounded as if he would have done something to the Cotton Ball otherwise.
Suhyeon smiled lightly and buried himself further into Hajin’s embrace.
Peck.
He felt a kiss on the back of his head.
As if in response, Suhyeon lifted Hajin’s wrist and pressed his lips lightly to the back of his hand before pulling away.
Hajin’s arm twitching nervously looked cute to him.
Soon, Suhyeon’s body was habitually lifted.
Suhyeon wrapped his arms around Hajin’s neck, turning his head to find his lips.
And so, another day passed—one that was both rowdy and not.
And not long after that, an unusual, very low-level gate was observed during the rush, and the Association called Suhyeon in as if they had been waiting.
Near a cluster of mountains in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, gate energy of about Level 2 was detected.
When a low-level gate that didn’t even require accompanying Guides was predicted, the Association asked Suhyeon if he could bring the Cotton Ball to the site.
The question was a formality; it was practically an order.
Suhyeon, who had already prepared himself, nodded readily, and thus he traveled to a quiet, cool, and pleasant place where it was hard to imagine a gate tearing open.
Although it was near mountains, there were residential areas and cafes nearby, so an evacuation order was reportedly issued.
“Whoa, the air is so clear!”
As soon as they arrived, Asher took a deep breath and shouted cheerfully.
At Suhyeon’s side at the gate site were Hajin, Asher, and Esper Lee Jeonghyeon.
Hajin had seemed restless since learning Suhyeon was going to the field, and he had insisted on bringing Asher along.
“I can’t believe you included me. Suhyeon, I’ll serve you like a princess.”
Of course, a fireball was ruthlessly launched when he made such comments, but there were now two S-rank Espers and one A-rank Esper present.
Not only them, but the Association had also assigned their own Espers.
“Hello, Guide! Have you been well?”
Esper Lee Kyujin, whom he had met a few times and was now quite familiar with, waved his hand. The three or four Espers behind him also bowed.
They were all said to be A-rank Espers.
Normally, a Level 2 gate would be handled by seven or eight teams of C-rank Espers, so this was nothing short of a waste of power, but the reason they were here was simple.
Since it was Suhyeon’s first time in the field, high-ranking Espers were brought out both to test how much power he and the Cotton Ball could exert in a real situation and to ensure the gate could be closed on the spot.
If Suhyeon’s power could handle monsters to some extent, the number of Espers accompanying him would likely decrease starting next time—excluding the minimum number of Espers required for emergencies.
Even if such a situation arose, the Association would likely have to keep at least one or two high-ranking Espers attached to Suhyeon because of Hajin’s persistence.
Hajin would always be there too. Since it was clearly a waste of power considering the future as well as the present, Suhyeon found it difficult to understand why the Association was so intent on pushing him into the field.
He hadn’t said anything because it was an opportunity to learn more about his abilities and keep the Cotton Ball alive, but if it weren’t for those additional purposes, wouldn’t he have questioned this situation?
Suhyeon had a thought that felt a bit late.
“Wow, three S-rank special ability users gathered in one place. I’m seeing so many amazing things thanks to you, Guide.”
Suhyeon looked up at the familiar light-hearted voice.
Lee Kyujin was grinning.
